2020.08.22

GT300: No. 31 TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT fastest in Q1 and Q2 to Secure Pole Position!

The qualifying for the FUJIMAKI GROUP SUZUKA GT 300km RACE, Round 3 of the 2020 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series took place at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on August 22 (Sat). In the GT500 class, the No. 64 Modulo NSX-GT (Takuya Izawa/Hiroki Otsu) won pole position, which for Izawa was a personal first PP in his 13-year GT500 career. In the GT300 class, the No. 31 TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT (Koki Saga/Yuhki Nakayama) won pole position. These two cars will start at the front of their respective classes in tomorrow’s race starting at 1:00 in the afternoon.

 

 

 

　The GT300 class Qualifying was run in the same two-session format (Group A and B) as in Round 2. In the Q1 Group A session the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi) was first to post a target time of 1’59.921, which led a series of time quickening times by the other teams.

　The first and only car in Group A to break into the 1 min. 58 sec. range after that was Yuhki Nakayama in the No. 31 TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT. His time of 1’58.621 topped the time board. Following in 2nd and 3rd positions were the No. 18 UPGARAGE NSX GT3 (Takashi Kobayashi) and the No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN AUTOMOBILE TECHNICAL COLLEGE GT-R (Kiyoto Fujinami) respectively.

　Meanwhile, car No. 61, which had finished the Round 2 race at Fuji in 2nd place and is always a podium contender at Suzuka, but this time could only manage to finish Q1 in 9th position, falling just 0.067 sec. short of the No. 55 ARTA NSX GT3 (Shinichi Takagi) in 8th place and thus failing to advance to Q2. Another team that failed to show their usual speed was the No. 4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU AMG (Nobuteru Taniguchi), which missed the Q2 cut-off by finishing the Group A Q1 in 10th place.

　Next up was Group B. An early surprise was rookie Atsushi Miyake in the No. 244 Takanoko-no-yu RC F GT3, a new team debuting this season. Miyake’s time of 1’58.959 put them at the top of the time board. Soon, however, other teams were also breaking into the 1’59 range.

　Eventually, the fastest time of the Group B session was the 1’58.911recorded by the No. 11 GAINER TANAX GT-R (Hironobu Yasuda). Although it missed out on the top spot, the new team No. 244 did manage to finish the Q1 B session in 2nd position. Initially finishing next in 3rd position was the No. 360 RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R (Yusaku Shibata), but its time was later disqualified on a judgement that the car’s four wheels had all run outside the track at one point in the timed lap. That made the team’s second fastest lap the its qualifying time, good only for 12th place and failing to advance the team to Q2. This moved the No. 34 Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3 (Ryo Michigami) up to 3rd position in Q1 Group B.

 

 

 

　In the 10-minute Q2 session competed for pole position, it was again the new No. 244 Takanoko-no-yu RC F GT3 car, driven this time by Rintaro Kubo that took the early lead at the top of the time board with a lap of 1’58.889. Then it was the No. 55 ARTA NSX GT3 (Toshiki Oyu) that jumped up to the top of the board with a time of 1’58.430, as an increasing number of teams broke into the 1 min. 58 sec. range.

　Meanwhile, Koki Saga in the No. 31 TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT had also improved his time to claim the top spot with a lap of 1’58.189. But then, with one minute left in the session, that time was bettered by the No. 56 Realize Nissan Automobile Technical College GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira) with a new top time of 1’58.053. With this, it looked as if team No. 56 had won its first pole position since Round 2 at Fuji in the 2019 season. However, during this fastest lap, all four wheels of de Oliveira’s GT-R had run off the track at the Spoon Curve, and an image of that moment had been shown on the track monitor screen. This penalty disqualified that fastest lap and thus the dream of a pole position for No. 56.

　Eventually, pole position went to the No. 31 TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT (Koki Saga/Yuhki Nakayama). For Saga, it was his third class pole and first since the last round at Motegi in the 2015 season. For the TOYOTA PRIUS it was the sixth pole position and the first since the change to the GR SPORT PRIUS PHV in 2019.
　Qualifying in 2nd position was the No. 55 ARTA NSX GT3 (Shinichi Takagi/Toshiki Oyu), while 3rd position went to the No. 244 Takanoko-no-yu RC F GT3 (Rintaro Kubo/Atsushi Miyake). Qualifying in 4th position was the current ranking leader, the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida/Kohta Kawaai).

 

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